Matt Rosa
Link-up midfielder Matt Rosa overcame the disappointment of being dropped during the 2006 finals series to become a senior member of West Coast's side, before switching to Gold Coast in search of more opportunities. West Coast career Rosa was the Eagles' first pick in the 2004 draft, taken with a pick acquired from Melbourne in exchange for Paul Johnson. Given the number 24 jumper made famous by coach John Worsfold and allocated to Peel, he eventually broke through for a debut late in the season and played three games before finishing the year with the Thunder. Rosa added another 15 games in his second year, showing some strong form early in the season including 27 touches against Adelaide and a Rising Star nomination for his 18 possession, 6 tackle effort in the big comeback win over Geelong. Like many young players, his form dipped as the season progressed and he found himself back in the WAFL on occasions. Recalled for the final round of the home and away season, he impressed with another 27-possession game and held his spot for the first two finals, but despite 23 disposals in the semi-final he was dropped for the prelim and was an emergency as West Coast won their third flag. Establishing himself in the side in 2007, Rosa played 22 of a possible 24 games, averaging more than 21 possessions. He continued that form at the start of 2008, playing eight of the first 10 games before a broken ankle put him on the sidelines for the rest of the year. Rosa bounced back in 2009 to play every game, finishing in the top ten (8th) in the Club Champion award for the first time in his career. He went one spot better in 2010 despite missing the start of the season due to injury. In the Eagles' charge up the ladder in 2011 Rosa was prominent early, bringing up his 100th appearance before suffering a PCL injury that kept him out of the final few rounds. Although he made a concerted effort to return for the finals he was unable to break into the team, named as an emergency as the side bowed out in the prelim. After winning a Glendinning Medal for a mighty 43-possesion game, injury struck again late in the 2012 season with Rosa breaking a jaw against Brisbane and then breaking his collarbone in his return match. Having missed the previous year's finals campaign, Rosa rushed back to come on as a sub in the semi-final. 2013 was a stop-start season for the veteran wingman, who suffered a quad injury during the pre-season and missed more than a month of footy. After a few games with new WAFL club East Perth, Rosa forced his way into the side by round 7 match, but later missed another stretch of games with a back injury to finish with just 11 games. Rosa was in strong form in the first half of 2014, but injured a pectoral tendon in round 16 against Sydney that prematurely ended his season. He recovered from an early-season hamstring injury in 2015 to play 17 games in the backline and on a wing, but at times looked vulnerable to younger players going past him in the pecking order. Rosa spent a couple of weeks in the WAFL and started both the preliminary final and grand final as the substitute. Gold Coast career During the offseason the club added midfielders Lewis Jetta and Jack Redden to the squad and Rosa, possibly sensing he would struggle for opportunities in 2016, requested a trade. He was sent to Gold Coast for a second-round pick, becoming the first player to have been on both Coast clubs' lists (although he was shortly joined by former Eagles rookie Ryan Davis). The veteran became an important part of the Suns' midfield, playing 34 games in his first two seasons. After managing just five games in 2018 due to injury, he announced his retirement after 207 AFL games.Michael Whiting, afl.com.au (7 August 2018), "Injury sees Gold Coast veteran call it quits": http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-07/injury-sees-gold-coast-veteran-call-it-quits Coaching career Following his retirement from playing ranks, Rosa rejoined West Coast as an assistant coach in charge of stoppages and structure, replacing the departing Sam Mitchell. Stats References http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/M/Matt_Rosa.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Rosa http://www.wafl.com.au/players/view/1133 News: Rosa signs on for two more years Rosa Rosa Rosa Rosa